History of asbestos

Asbestos has been used for thousands of years and can even be traced back to the early Greeks who wove asbestos into cloth. Even though the Greeks noticed asbestos related symptoms, they ignored them due to the usefulness of the material.

Asbestos was not widely used again until the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s when it was used as insulation for steam pipes, boilers, kilns turbines, ovens and more. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the premature deaths of asbestos workers started being explored. In the 1930s the link between asbestos and serious illnesses such as cancer was discovered, however many companies once again chose to ignore the health issues.

Although we understand much more about the hazards of asbestos and have started using safer alternatives, there are still too many cases of mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Today, there are many rules and regulations in place to protect people from the dangers of asbestos. For more information about asbestos laws and regulations click here.